Prior to becoming an MP, Kwarteng worked as an analyst in financial services. He has written a book, Ghosts of Empire, about the legacy of the British Empire, published by Bloomsbury in 2011.[4] He has also co-authored (with Jonathan Dupont) the book Gridlock Nation on the causes and solutions to traffic congestion in Britain.[7]

In 2014 he also published War and Gold: A Five-Hundred-Year History of Empires, Adventures and Debt a history of capital and the enduring ability of money - when combined with speculation - to ruin societies.[8]

Kwarteng was selected as the Conservative candidate for Spelthorne at an open primary in January 2010 after the incumbent Conservative MP, David Wilshire, became mired in controversy arising from the Parliamentary expenses scandal and announced that he would be retiring from Parliament at the next general election. Kwarteng was described by a local paper as a "black Boris".[3] At the 2010 general election, Kwarteng won the seat with 22,261 votes (claiming a majority of 10,019).[10]

In August 2012, Kwarteng co-authored a book, Britannia Unchained. In it, the authors claim that "Once they enter the workplace, the British are among the worst idlers in the world".[11]